Combined buckle and clasp.



COMBINED BUCKLE AND CLASP. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 8.

WIiiF'lITH! -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MATTHEW F. BURNS, OF SHELTON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR. TO THE ROBERT N.BASSETT COllIPANY, OF SHELTON, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OFCONNECTICUT.

COMBINED BUCKLE AND CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

Application filed August 11, 1908. Serial No. 448,006.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHEW F. BURNS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Shelton, in the county of Fairlield and State ofConnecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inCombined Buckles and Clasps, of which the following is a specification.I

My invention relates to garment supporters of the button clasp type andits object is to provide an economical and durable device of thischaracter wherein the button clasp or a part thereof is attacheddirectly to a buckle mounted on the supporting strap or webbing.

ith this and other objects in view my invention consists in the detailsof construction and manner of operation fully set forth in the followingdescription and accompanying drawings in which like reference charactersrefer to corresponding parts.

In the drawings: Figure l is a front view of my device mounted on asupporting strap some of the parts being shown broken away; Fig. 2, aside view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a front view of Fig. 1 before the lever isassembled; Fig. 4, a view showing the parts in the process of beingassembled, and Figs. 5 and 6, front views of modifications before thelever is assembled.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and a the frame A of the buckle is made outof sheet metal and comprises the back plate 1 having the forwardlyprojecting side ears 2, 2 provided with apertures 8, 3. The lockinglever B is also made out of sheet metal and consists of the frontport-ion or shield l, the clamping edge 5 and the laterally projectingtrunnions 6, (3 j ournaled in the apertures 3, 3 of the side ears. Thelower edge of the back plate 1 is slit vertically and bent forwardly toform the pintle straps 9, 9 and the transversely disposed lip 7 having asubstantially straight edge 8. The loop C is provided withthe pintles10, 10, but otherwise may be of any suitable construction having theusual opening contracted near its lower extremity to embrace the neck ofa button. The pintle straps 9, 9 are curled around the pintles 10, 10 toform journal sockets on the lower side of the frame and the lip 7 isturned back on the front face of the frame, and is swaged or presseddown on the free extremity d of the tab D, which latter carries a buttonE at its opposite extremity adapted to operate together with the loop Cin a well known manner to act as a clasp.

To fasten the loop 0 and the tab D to the buckle frame A the pintles 10,10 of the loop and extremity (Z of the tab are placed against the lowerside of the front face of the frame in longitudinal alinement with thestraps 9, 9 and the lip 7 respectively, as shown in Fig. 4t. The strapsare then curled around the pintles and the lip is forced downsin1ultaneously on the extremity of the tab in a machine adapted forthis purpose. When the device is thus partly assembled, as shown in Fig.3, the extremity of the tab D carrying the button E is carried aroundthe edge 8 of the lip 7 and passed rearwardly through the widenedportion of the loop. The side ears 2, 2 of the frame A are then turnedforwardly causing the apertures 3, 3 to embrace the trunnions 6, 6respectively of the lever B. i

The buckle may be adjustably mounted on the webbing F or othersupporting strap by lifting the front portion 4 of the lever to open thebuckle and passing the extremity of the webbing F between the lever andthe front face of the frame. The buckle is then closed by shutting downthe front t over the lip 7, thereby concealing the top of the tab andcausing the gripping edge 5 to lock the webbing F against the front ofthe back plate 1. The free end of the webbing when clamped to the bucklemay lie against the back plate above the lip 7, or may be drawndownwardly over the front of the loop C as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Allthat portion of the strap F, however, below the locking edge 5 of thelever is superfluous and maybe readily cut off to the length desired foradjustment. The tab having the extremity sccured as described beneaththe lip 7 is not only confined between the same and the back plate 1,either of which may have its gripping surface roughened or serrated, butbe ing held down against the front of the lip by the front 4: of thelever, drags or binds around the free edge 8, which latter also servesto keep the tab uniformly spread, and thus any force or strain tendingto pull out the end of the tab is resisted. The arrangement of the partsherein described also permits minimum lengths of webbing and tabs to beutilized thus resulting in a considerable economy in the material. Thethreading of the button end of the tab in under the buckle and down theback of the loop not only relieves the strain on the confined extremityof the tab but also prevents any pull on the tab from accidentallylifting the front of the lever and opening the buckle. By attaching thetab and loop to the buckle simultaneously one of the assemblingoperations may be eliminated. It will also be observed that by makingthe buckle and the loop in separate pieces I am enabled to utilize aloop made of wire. It will be further observed in referring to Figs. 1and 2 that the lower extremity of the front 4 of the lever B beingsubstantially the same length as the back plate 1 will shut down overthe top side of the loop when the buckle is closed and for this reasonwill pass between the sides of the upper extremities of the loop whenthis latter member swings forwardly. This arrangement prevents the loopfrom opening the buckle during its pivotal movement.

Referring to the modification shown in Fig. 5 the frame A of the bucklecomprises the back plate 12 having the forwardly projecting side cars13, 13 provided with apertures 14, 14, and arranged to be bent forwardlyto engage the trunnions of the clamping lever in the same manner as inthe preceding figures. The lower side of the frame is provided with aprojecting tongue 15 terminating in a lip 16. The tongue 15 is turnedback on the front face of the back plate 12 around the pint-les 17, 17of the loop C, and the lip portion 16 is pressed or swaged down toconfine the extremity (Z of the tab D simultaneously forming a journalsocket 18 for the pintles 17, 17. The tab D is then carried around thefree edge of the lip and passed rearwardly through the loop.

Referring to the modification shown in Fig. 6 the frame A of the bucklecomprises the back plate 18 having the laterally projecting ears 19, 19provided with apertures 20, 20 and arranged to be bent forwardly toengage the trunnions of the clamping lever. On the lower side of theback plate 18 are mounted the pintle sockets 21, 21 in whicharejournaled the pintles 22, 22 of the loop O, and its body portion isprovided with a transversely disposed slot or elongated opening 23through which may be threaded the extremity of the tab D carrying thebutton E The extremity of the tab D may be threaded forwardly orrearwardly through the slot and is preferably sewed upon itself...

Having now disclosed my invention as embodied in the modifications abovedescribed other modifications comprehending such broad features asfairly come within the scope of the appended claims will readily suggestthemselves.

Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to protect byLetters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture a buckle comprising a sheet metal backplate having a button loop and a button tab carried thereby and havingits lower extremity provided with a transversely disposed lip which ispressed down on the face of said back plate to grip the end of' saidbutton tab, and a web locking lever journaled across the face of saidback plate provided with a front portion arranged to shut down over saidlip when the buckle is closed.

2. As an article of manufacture a buckle comprising a sheet metal backplate having its lower edge slit and curled to form alined pintlesockets, a loop member of a button clasp provided with pintles journaledin said sockets, the said lower edge being bent upwardly between saidsockets to form a tab gripping lip having a transversely disposed edgearound which a button tab is adapted to be drawn when cooperating withsaid loop and a lever journaled across the front of said back plateprovided with a front member or shield arranged to shut down CV61 saidlip when the buckle is closed.

3. In a garment supporter a sheet metal buckle back provided withforwardly turned side ears and a dependingbutton loop, combined with abutton tab having its upper extremity secured to the front face portionof said back and its button end passed under said back to the rear sideof said loop, and a lever carried between said ears, the said leverhaving a front portion which shuts down over the secured extremity ofthe tali when the buckle is closed.

at. In a garment supporter the combination with a garment fasteningloop, of a sheet metal buckle plate hinged to said loop and a pivotedlever for adjust-ably looking a garment supporting strap against theface of said plate, the said lever having a front portion which shutsdown over the top side of said loop the lower extremity of which isarranged to pass between the upper extremity of the sides of said loopwhen the latter member swings forwardly.

I11 testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day ofAugust, 1908.

MATTHEWV F. BURNS. \Vitnesses TALTER W. HOLDEN, D. W. NoR'rHUP.

